Can-opener.



No. 848,456. l PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907 F. GARREUHT.

CAN OPENER. APPLIQATION FILED JUNE 7, 1906.

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WITNESSES E 1 [MENTOR @1716 A TTORNEYS "as NORRIS Prrns 6a., WASHIIG'POL. 81c.

FREDERICK GARREOHT, OF IDAHO CITY, IDAHO.

CAN-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

Application filed June 7, 1906. Serial No- 320,569.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK GAR'RECHT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Idaho City, in the county of Boise and State of Idaho, have invented a new and Improved Can-Opener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improvement in canopeners, relating to that class of can-openers which form a permanent part of the can structure and which is designed to be shipped with the can, so as to always be ready for use in opening the same.

An object of the invention is to so construct the opener that it will lie flat on the top of the can where it is usually applied and have no projecting points from it, which is a source of much inconvenience in packing cans where this style of opener is employed.

Another. object of the invention is to pro vide effective means to prevent the acciden tal displacement of the can-opener from the top of the can, which when not the case is the frequent cause of the handle of the opener becoming bent and rendering it unfit for use.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the upper part of a can-body with my improvements applied thereto, said figure show ing in dotted position a tongue at the end of the handle before it is bent down to hold the elements of the opener in place. Fig. 2 is a section similar to the section in Fig. 1, but showing the opener after it is drawn to operative position for cutting out the can-top and also showing in dotted lines the position to which the handle of the opener is moved in order to pass the blade from the outside of the can-body to and into the can-top. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the opener and the can as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the opener complete, and Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 as viewed in the direction of the arrows.

The numeral 1 indicates a can-body, having a top 2 fixed thereto, to which my improved can-opening device is applied. This consists of a plate 3, soldered or otherwise secured to the center of the top 2 and through which passes a rivet 4, having an enlarged head at its upper end. On this rivet 4 is pivoted a plate 5, which has a T-shaped head 6 at its free end, as best shown in Fig. 4, forming a guide for a handle member, hereinafter described. This handle, which is indicated by the numeral.7 in the drawings, is substantially equal in length to the diameter of the can to which it is to be afiixed and has its longitudinal edges 8 bent over in the same direction upon it, forming guide-grooves for the plate 5. A knife-blade 9 of triangular shape and sharpened at both edges in order that it may cut in either direction in which the handle is moved is bent at right angles from a square or rectangular plate 10 of a width equal to the guides of the plate 5 and to the distance between the guide-grooves in which it is adapted to slide. A projecting end 11 of the handle 7, which has the overturned edges 8 of the handle out from it, is bent downwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and forms a stop tolimit the outward movement of the knife-blade, as is evident. The opposite end of the handle 7 is provided With a projecting tongue 12, which lies in a plane with the handle in assembling the parts and when the cutter is in use, but which is bent downwardly at right angles to engage the body of the can, as shown in Fig. 1, when the can is put up for shipment.

In assembling the opener the guide-plate 10 for the blade 9 is inserted in the guidegrooves so that the blade will be adjacent to the downwardly-bent end 1 1 of the handle. The plate 5, which islpivotally attached to the plate 3 through the rivet 4, is then passed into the guide-grooves, after which the ends of the longitudinal edges 8 are bent down at 13 on the handle to prevent the withdrawal of the plate therefrom. The handle is then pushed over the cantop until the projection 11 forces the blade 9 against the periphery of the can-body, as shown in Fig. 1, after which the tongue 12 is bent downward to engage the can-body at a diametrical opposite point. It is thus seen that the rivet 4, plates 3, 5, and 10, and blade 9 are completely inclosed by the handle 7, the opener presenting a smooth unbroken appearance on the cantop.

WVhen the can is to be opened, the tongue 12 is bent into the plane of the handle and the handle drawn out at the opposite side to the limit of its movement, which will be when the guide 6 strike the inwardly-bent edges at 13. The handle is then sprung up- IIO wardly to the dotted position shown in Fig. 2, when the point of the blade 9 is p assed over upon the can-top. By now pressing down on the handle the blade is forced into the cantop and will cut it out circularly as the handle is revolved in either direction about the rivetlas a center.

Although I have described the construction in detail, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is limited only by the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In combination witha can, a can-opener comprising a handle having guide-grooves on its under face, means pivoted at the center of the can-top and slidable in the grooves, a blade slidable in the grooves :and projecting from the handle, and a tongue projecting from the handle, said blade and tongue providing means for engaging the can at opposite sides and holding the handle against movement.

2. In a can-opener of the class described, a handle, a blade slidably connected with the handle, and means carried by the handle cooperating with the blade adapted to engage a can-body at opposite sides and hold the handle against movement.

3. In a can-opener of the class described, the combination of a handle, a blade slidably connected with the -handle,means slidably connected with the handle adapted to pivotally connect it with a can-top, and

'end of the handle means projecting from the handle cooperating with said blade adapted to engage a canbody at opposite sides and hold the handle against movement.

4. In combination with a can, a can-opener comprising a handle having its longitudinal edges bent over to form guide-grooves, a blade slidable in the guide-grooves, a plate pivoted to the center of the can-top and slidable in the guide-grooves and disconnected from said blade, and means at each end of the handle for limiting the sliding movement of the blade and plate.

5. In combination with a can, a can-opener comprising a handle having its longitudinal edges bent over to form guide-grooves, -a blade slidable in the guide-grooves, a plate pivoted at the center of the can-top slidable in the guide-grooves and disconnected from said blade, a downwardly-turned end at the for limiting the movement of the blade and plate in one direction, means for limiting their movement in the opposite direction, and a projecting tongue carried by the handle cooperating with said blade for engaging the can-bodyat diametrically opposite points, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK GARREOHT.

Witnesses:

\VM. WARNER, C. E. JoNEs. 

